In his annual Christmas message,
Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, has urged people to
overcome their differences and find political solutions to conflicts,
especially those gripping the Middle East region.

Addressing a 50,000-strong crowd
at Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Tuesday, the pope called for a
spirit of “fraternity” to be rekindled in conflict zones such as Syria, Yemen
and Palestine.

“My wish for a happy Christmas is
a wish for fraternity,” among individuals of “every nation and culture” as well
as among people “with different ideas, yet capable of respecting and listening
to one another,” the 82-year-old pontiff said.

He also stressed that differences
should not be seen as a “detriment or a danger” but rather “a source of
richness.”

“May the international community
work decisively for a political solution that can put aside divisions and
partisan interests, so that the Syrian people, especially all those who were
forced to leave their own lands and seek refuge elsewhere, can return to live
in peace in their own country,” the pope said.

The pontiff also used the
occasion as an opportunity to address the ongoing war and the humanitarian
disaster in Yemen.

“My thoughts turn to Yemen, in
the hope that the truce brokered by the international community may finally
bring relief to all those children and people exhausted by war and famine,” he
added.

Pope Francis also expressed hopes
for a resumption of dialog between Israelis and Palestinians to “put an end to
a conflict that for over 70 years has rent the land chosen by the Lord to show
his face of love.”

He further affirmed the
Palestinian side’s readiness to hold new discussions with the Tel Aviv regime
on the basis of the international law and relevant United Nations General
Assembly and Security Council resolutions.

Referring to other hotspots
across the globe, Pope Francis further called for rapprochement on the Korean
Peninsula, peace in Ukraine, “social harmony” in Venezuela, reconciliation in
Nicaragua and an end to conflict in Africa, “where millions of people are
refugees, or displaced or in need of humanitarian assistance and food
security.”